


Making Mistakes

by cazmalfoy



Series: Dylan 'Verse [30]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non Torchwood, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-18
Updated: 2013-11-18
Packaged: 2018-01-02 00:28:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1050379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cazmalfoy/pseuds/cazmalfoy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dylan made a mistake, a stupid mistake, and now he has to face the music.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Making Mistakes

It was three in the afternoon when Gwen got the call to a small chemist so far out of the city centre, it was barely in Cardiff. Someone had tried to rob the shop; the storeowner wasn’t pressing charges but he wanted some on to talk to the kid that committed the crime.

She glanced at the time on the dashboard, mentally calculating how long she had left to work before Jack arrived and took over. Most of the time, they worked the same shift, but once every couple of weeks they alternated between daytime and night shift. The arrangement gave them both time to spend with their families, without having to rush meals and kisses.

The shop owner was serving a customer when Gwen arrived and she waited to the side, studying the various packages on the shelf.

As the customer left, the shopkeeper nodded towards the back of the shop, straight down the centre isle. “Kids these days,” he muttered under his breath, heading in to the back as she made her way over.

Gwen made her way towards the teenager, mentally preparing what she was going to say. The hunched figure was sitting on the rickety chair, his hair falling over his face and he studied his shoes.

Nothing could have prepared her for when the figure lifted his head and she realised it was Dylan.

She remained silent as she reached out and grabbed the back of his hooded sweatshirt with her fist. Hauling him to his feet, she told the shop owner she was going to deal with things and dragged Dylan from the chemist.

The teenager tried to squirm from her grasp, but her grip was so tight he didn’t stand a chance. 

“Get in,” she instructed, holding the passenger door open, not looking at Dylan.

Once he was inside the vehicle, she slammed the door and took several deep breaths, trying to calm herself down before she walked around to the driver’s side and climbed it.

Neither of them spoke as she started the engine and pulled away from the kerb. 

“I…” Dylan tried to speak but Gwen cut him off.

“I didn’t ask you to speak, Dylan Franklin Harkness,” she snapped, turning the car off the main road and heading into Sainsbury’s car park; it was the nearest place she could think of to stop the car. At least if she were surrounded, there would be witnesses to stop her killing him.

“What the hell possessed you to steal?” she demanded, unfastening her seat belt and turning to face him.

He remained silent, looking out of the window. “Dylan, your dad starts work in… twenty minutes, I suggest you start talking.”

Dylan’s head snapped around and he studied her for a moment before expelling a breath and shaking his head. “I messed up,” he whispered, diverting his eyes away from his aunt.

“I’ll say,” Gwen retorted. Seeing his downcast look, she sighed and closed her eyes, “Why, Dylan?” she whispered. “If there was something you wanted, all you had to do was ask your dads, or me.”

“It’s not that…”

“Then what? Did one of your friends put you up to it? ‘Cause if they did, they’re not…”

Seeing that she wasn’t going to get anything from Dylan she relented, sliding her phone out of her pocket and handing it over. “They’re not pressing charges,” she informed him. “But you will be cleaning at the police station for an hour every day after school.”

Dylan sighed and nodded his head, waiting for the ultimatum he knew she was going to give him.

“Either call your dad and tell him, or I will.”

~

When Gwen spotted Ianto’s car pull into the car park, she sighed and glared at Dylan. He hadn’t told her he had chickened out and called Ianto instead of Jack.

The silver car stopped in front of them and Ianto got out, wearing a weary expression. “Get in,” he instructed, his voice cold as he leant against the roof of the car.

Dylan nodded his head and practically pulled the door off in his hurry to get inside.

Ianto offered Gwen a thankful smile. ‘Thank you,’ he mouthed, knowing that she wouldn’t tell Jack anything about what had just happened.

Gwen smiled in response and watched as the car drove off. With a sigh, she climbed back into her own vehicle and headed home to her family.

~

Ianto was silent the entire journey, not speaking until they arrived back at the house. Only then did he turn and say, “Go upstairs, get changed into old clothes and be in the back garden in ten minutes.”

Dylan nodded his head silently, fearing what Ianto was going to do and jumped out of the car, running into the house and up the stairs.

It wasn’t even five minutes before he arrived in the backyard, wearing the scruffiest clothes he could find.

Ianto was sitting on the edge of the trampoline, swinging his legs back and forth as he waited.

“What are you going to do?” Dylan whispered, standing awkwardly in front of Ianto.

“I’m not going to do anything.” The lawyer held out a pair of garden scissors. “But, you’re going to be pruning the rose bushes,” he informed him.

Dylan’s face fell in dismay as he looked around the garden. Every single flowerbed in the garden had at least one rose bush in it; they were Ianto and Jack’s favourite flower. “All of them?”

Ianto saw Dylan’s face and shook his head. “Don’t look like that, Dylan. You messed up; you’re getting punished.” He fell silent for a moment, before saying, “I want to know why you did it.”

“I…” Dylan shrugged his shoulders, running a hand through his hair. “I was embarrassed,” he admitted, flushing hotly.

Ianto raised an eyebrow; of all the things he had been expecting, embarrassment hadn’t been on the list. “Embarrassed?” He forgot all about punishing Dylan for the moment and moved over, patting the trampoline next to him.

“I…” Dylan blushed bright red and whispered, “I was trying to steal some condoms.”

Ianto couldn’t help it, he laughed out loud. At Dylan’s look he murmured, “No, I don’t mean it’s funny… But, well it is, actually. Why would you feel embarrassed about asking me or your dad about condoms and sex?”

Dylan shrugged his shoulders and Ianto wrapped an arm around him. The tips of his ears were burning red with humiliation as he tried to look everywhere but at Ianto.

“Is there someone you like?” Ianto asked softly. Dylan nodded his head nervously. “Boy or girl?”

“Girl!” Dylan replied quickly. “I’m not… I… I mean… There’s a girl,” he finally finished.

“And what does she think about you?” Ianto pressed, running his fingers through Dylan’s hair.

The teenager thought about his answer for a moment before replying, “I think she likes me, but I don’t know.”

Ianto smiled and kissed his forehead. “I know what you mean, squirt. When I met my first girlfriend…” He shook his head, “I had no idea how I would know if she liked me.”

“What did you do?” Dylan whispered.

“Stalked her for weeks,” Ianto replied deadpanned.

Dylan’s eyes went wide. “Really?”

“No,” Ianto scoffed. “I just got to be friends with her and after a while I asked her out. But I definitely didn’t steal condoms.”

The blush was back on Dylan’s face and he looked away. “I’m sorry I let you down.”

Ianto glanced at his watch, he would have to pick Ellie up from her dance class in just under an hour and if he didn’t leave soon, he would be late. But he also knew he couldn’t leave Dylan thinking he was ashamed of him.

“If I tell you something, you have to swear never to tell your dad,” Ianto eventually spoke.

Dylan nodded his head quickly, assuring his tad he wouldn’t utter a word to the police officer.

Ianto took a deep breath, “When I was fifteen I was arrested as well.” Dylan gasped in shock and he continued, “Me and my mates got caught stealing booze from the corner shop. They did press charges and I ended up with a criminal record. Luckily it didn’t stop me from becoming a lawyer, but there’s every possibility that it could have.”

His son gaped at him, mouth open and blue eyes wide. “But…”

“Your dad doesn’t know,” Ianto informed in. “It’s not something I’m proud of and was planning to take to my grave.”

“Then why did you tell me?” Dylan whispered.

Ianto closed his hand over Dylan’s. “Because I wanted you to know that I’m not disappointed in you. I understand what it’s like to do stupid things when you’re a kid. I’m not going to lie to you, though. I am hurt that you felt like you couldn’t come to us.”

Dylan hugged Ianto tightly, burying his face in the lawyer’s shoulder. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, holding on to Ianto with all his might.

~

Jack sighed and flopped down on the bed. He had arrived home just after midnight to find Ellie wrapped up in bed, Ianto in the study drawing up something for court and Dylan lying on his bed staring at the ceiling.

Ianto had told him he needed to have ‘the talk’ with their son; he wasn’t about to do all the dirty work for him.

It had gone better than Jack assumed it would. He had been nervous at first, but being so open with his own parents about sex had made him more comfortable at discussing subjects most would be embarrassed about.

He had to admit; he had been more than a little shocked when Dylan had admitted he had been nervous to tell them he liked a girl. He had always believed they had brought their children up to be who they were – be that gay, straight or whatever.

Ianto looked up from getting ready for bed when he heard Jack chuckling to himself. “You know, I’m sure laughing at nothing is a sign of madness,” he commented, stepping out of his jeans and placing them in the laundry hamper.

Jack rolled over on to his side, watching as Ianto removed his underwear as well; now that the children were old enough to know not to walk into their parents’ bedroom unannounced, they had taken to sleeping in what was most comfortable – nothing at all.

He wolf-whistled at the other man, making Ianto roll his eyes as he pushed Jack on to his side of the bed and climbed under the covers, flicking on the bedside light.

Jack heaved himself off the bed and flicked the main light off. Quickly undressing him and leaving his clothes in the middle of the floor – much to Ianto’s annoyance – he jumped onto the bed, crawling up Ianto’s body and kissing him softly, before getting under the covers himself.

“I was just thinking…” he began.

“Careful,” Ianto interjected, “you might break something.”

“Smart ass,” Jack growled playfully, biting Ianto’s shoulder gently. “Most kids are afraid to tell their parent’s that they’re gay. Ours are afraid to tell us that they’re straight.”

Ianto chuckled and ran his hand through Jack’s soft hair. “I couldn’t help wondering if we’d failed him somehow,” he admitted. 

Jack frowned in confusion and looked up at Ianto. “How?”

Neither Ianto nor Dylan had told Jack about the teenager’s brief lapse of judgement; both agreeing to keep it between themselves. A mistake that they would learn from then put in the past.

“By making him think that we wouldn’t understand if he liked girls. We haven’t made him think he had to be gay, have we?”

Jack bit his lip in thought. “I don’t think so,” he replied. “I think it’s just a case of him being insecure about himself. Most kids grow up with a mom,” he yelped when Ianto hit him, “and a dad, so being interested in the same sex goes against the norm.”

“Him being interest in females goes against what he’s known all his life, I suppose,” Jack mused, looking up at the ceiling thoughtfully.

“Listen to you, Mr Psychology,” Ianto commented dryly.

Jack glared at him and pounced, pinning the other man to the mattress and kissing him deeply.

The End


End file.
